Colt Cadets Announce 2018 Program

May 24, 2018

Old becoming new again is the idea behind the Colt Cadets 2018 program, Moderne. The approach parallels the aesthetic of Art Deco — existing art and architecture reimagined in streamlined and futuristic fashion, or Style Moderne. In Art Deco, futuristic and abstract art forms exist juxtaposed or superimposed on traditional forms.

The program starts with a futuristic, jazz-flavored interpretation of “Un Bel Di,” the iconic theme from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. Starting with Madame Butterly, the corps blends shapes, music, and visual aesthetics through the lens of Art Deco style. After the opener, things take an unexpected twist. The corps begins its second production with the very somber opening of the second movement from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, which suddenly flips to a rhumba — an imagining of Beethoven on a Miami vacation.

By its nature, The Great Gatsby is old meets new, evoking the era of the roaring ‘20s, flappers, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Colt Cadets recall that time while performing new music written to fit the occasion, “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey. Next is a variation of the Art Deco aesthetic — new becoming old. What if Bach wrote for Lady Gaga? The result might be Colt Cadets “Bad Romance,” which is a Bach fugue-influenced treatment of one of Lady Gaga's breakout hits.

If Mussorgsky wrote jazz, he might have treated his Pictures at an Exhibition as the Colt Cadets will in “Hut of Baba Yaga” and “Great Gate of Kiev.” Combining the traditional Russian music with the expressiveness of the American jazz scene brings the program full circle as the Colt Cadets explore all the facets of Style Moderne.

The Colt Cadets will debut their 2018 production, along with the Colts, at the 8th Annual Colts Summer Premiere on Friday, June 22, at the University of Dubuque Chalmers Field. The competitive season begins on June 23 in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and concludes August 6 - 7 at the Drum Corps International Open Class Championships in Michigan City, Indiana.

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